This is a type of redox-flow battery and typically consists of two tanks for a negative and positive electrode and pumps. One of the lessons of the energy transition is that there is room for numerous different solutions and to meet the need for extended storage, it's possible that iron-flow batteries may be the answer. These have the advantage of being rapid response and also able to help with frequency control on the grid.īut they also have disadvantages, including they are costly, they don't last long and if there is a fire, they are difficult to extinguish. That leaves batteries, and Australia already has several utility-scale battery farms, using mainly lithium-ion units. Hydropower has limited scope in Australia, and plans to develop pumped storage solutions have been delayed, or face massive cost blowouts, which undermine their economic case. Natural gas, while cleaner than coal, still emits carbon and ultimately isn't a long-term solution if the goal is to reach net-zero electricity generation. In Australia this role has fallen to natural gas-fired peaking plants, battery storage and hydropower.
There are solutions to this, and all of them are variations on the theme that as the grid is fed by more and more variable renewables, you need fast-acting and variable back-ups.
